Stop mechanism for sheet dispensing apparatus



Oct. 10, 1939. c, GRUNWALD 2,175,192

STOP MECHANISM FOR SHEET DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed March 10, 1937 fill/6712507 ATTOENEYJ Patented Oct. 10, 1939 APPARATUS Albert C. Grunwald, River Forest, 111., assignor to Steiner Sales Company, Salt Lake City, Utah, a corporation of Utah Application March 10,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in stop mechanism particularly adapted for towel dispensing apparatus and has among its objects to provide a stop mechanism which is controlled entirely by manipulation of the toweling, to be moved to and released from stop position. This invention is an improvement over that of a copending application of Frank G. Steiner 65,273

for Towel cabinet and dispensing mechanism therefor and has for a special object to provide means for obtaining positive release of the automatic stop mechanism which means acts When a pull on the toweling ceases or when force ceases to be applied by the user to a part which is concerned in dispensing the toweling.

Features of the invention include all of the details of construction shown in the drawing along with the broader ideas of means inherent in the disclosure.

Objects, features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description of the drawing forming a part of this application, and in said drawing Figure l is a vertical section through one end of a towel cabinet, showing my invention applied thereto, with the stop mechanism in stop position and with dispensing force being applied;

Figure 2 is a side View of the stop mechanism positioned as ready for dispensing and with the stop mechanism in release position;

Figure 3 is a detail view of the stop mechanism showing the parts positioned as during the dispensing operation; and

Figure 4 is a sectional elevation viewed from line 4-4 of Figure 3 further illustrating the structure of the stop mechanism.

In the drawing, numeral I generally designates the main casing of a cabniet which is adapted to be attached to the wall by means not shown. The casing has a pivoted upper section 3 which forms a part of the top and front of the cabinet. A movable lower casing 5 forms a part of the bottom and front of the cabinet. These sections 7 have edges which are cooperable to define a horizontally elongated front towel dispensing opening or slot 1, the structure being substantially the same as that described in the co-pending application above referred to.

The upper section has two arms 8, only one of which is shown, which arms are pivoted as at 9 to brackets attached to the sides In of the casing. The pivotal arrangement is such that the section is held by gravity in open position when swung upwardly. The lower casing I5 is attached by means not shown to swing downwardly to give 1937, Serial No. 130,118 (01. 312-38) access for servicing the cabinet. The bottom section also has means not shown for limiting it to form a shelf for the supply roll, while the cabinet is being serviced.

The towel dispensing mechanism of the cabinet is mounted on vertically spaced plates I5 suitably secured by bolts to the rear wall I6 of the casing. Mounted between and supported by these plates is a dispensing mechanism. including a measuring or feed roll l1 and a pinch roll I8.engageable therewith and mounted in the usual manner in slots [9. The takeup roll is indicated at 20 and the soiled towel roll is'indicated at 2|. The axis or trunnions of the roll 2| move in slots 22 in the plates IS. The feed roll and takeup roll are connected by the usual drive chain 25.

The towel supply roll is indicated at 26. The toweling passes upwardly as shown over the measuring roll I'laround the pinch roll l8, thence downwardly along the front face of the cabinet and below the cabinet to form a loop 28, thence upwardly through a slot (not shown) at the rear of the cabinet, thence through the cabinet and through or against a smoothing device generally indicated at 29, thence upwardly to the soiled towel roll 2|.

The main feature of this invention relates to the stop mechanism now to be described. The measuring roll 11 represents a roll which is rotated when the toweling is fed. It may be either crank or towel operated. Operated by this roll and in this instance attached to the end of it, is a disc 30. This disc has a peripheral projection or segment 3] which provides at one end a stop shoulder 32, the segment 3| acting as 35 hereinafter described to kick a pivotal stop element 24 to stop position against the action of gravity. This stop element has a shoulder 35 adapted to be engaged by the shoulder 32 and the forward portion of the segment 3| (whatever 40 its shape) engages a head 31 at that end of the pivotal stop opposite the shoulder 35 to throw the stopto the position of Figure 1.

This kicking action is obtained as a result of rapid rotation of the roll, in this instance, due to pulling action on the towel, although it is obvious that the roll may be operated by a crank.

Whenpulling action ceases the member 34 is automatically released to move by gravity to nonstop position. To assure release, means new to be described is provided, and said means includes a member moving by gravity to limit reverse motion of the roll from stop position, and a spring for reversely moving the roll. The gravity element is generally indicated at 40 and is weighted 6 at its lower end by an enlargement 4|, and has a stop shoulder 42 with which is engageable a lug 43 carried by the disc 30. gaged with the shoulder 42 in Figure 2. The spring is indicated at 50 and. has one end connected as at 5| to the plate l5, the other end of which is connected as at 52 to a link 53 in turn pivoted as at 54 to the disc 30. This pivotal point in this instance is diametrically opposite to the pin 43, and is so arranged as to be forwardly of the engaged stops when the latter are in stop position.

It will be seen that the disc rotates in a clockwise direction, from the position of Figure 2, the link acting on the spring will put the spring under tension and after the stops are engaged as in Figure 1, release of the towel by the user, will result in reverse movement of the roll and engagement of lug 43 with the latch shoulder 42.

As the roll rotates in clockwise direction the lug 43 engages the latch and moves it outwardly. The latch returns to stop or latch position by gravity. The inward movement of the stop is limited by pin 55 and the outer movement is limited by the pin 54.

Starting with the mechanism positioned as at Figure 2 the operator pulls on the toweling and the disc turns in clockwise direction and the pivoted stop assumes the position of Figure 1. The roll makes in this instance one complete revolution. Just as soon as the pull on the toweling ceases, the roll is reversely rotated by the spring 59, in counterclockwise direction, to cause the pin 43 to engage the shoulder 42 of the latch as in Figure 2. Figure 3 shows the position of the parts when the roll has made about one-half revolution from its position in Figure 2.

It will be clear that the automatic stop mechanism of this invention can be applied to other types of towel dispensing apparatus, such as for the dispensing of paper toweling.

I claim as my invention:

1. A towel dispensing mechanism having a roll which is forcibly rotated when the towel is fed, a stop mechanism and means by which it controls and is controlled by the roll to assume stop engagement as a result of forced rotation of the roll and to automatically assume non-stop position when forced rotation of the roll ceases and when reverse motion of the roll occurs following stop engagement, a spring and means connecting it with the roll to reversely rotate the roll following stop engagement, and means for limiting reverse motion of the roll from stop position including a member moved automatically to limiting position and having a shoulder engageable with a lug on the roll.

2. A towel dispensing mechanism having a roll which is forcibly rotated when the towel is fed, a stop mechanism for the roll including a pivoted The lug 43 is shown enstop normally gravity held in non-stop position, means operated by the roll for kicking the stop element to stop position against the action of gravity, said roll having a stop shoulder into the path of which the pivoted stop moves when kicked, the engaged relation of the stop being such as to prevent gravityrelease of the pivotal stop as long as forced rotation of the roll-continues, a spring and means connecting it with the roll to reversely rotate the roll following stop engagement and means for limiting reverse movement of the roll from stop position including a member moved automatically to limiting position and having a shoulder engageable with a lug on the roll.

3. A towel dispensing mechanism having a roll which is forcibly rotated when the towel is fed, a stop mechanism for the roll including a pivoted stop normally gravity held in non-stop position, means operated by the roll for kicking the stop element to stop position against the action of gravity, said roll having a stop shoulder into the path of which the pivoted stop moves when kicked, the engaged relation of the stop being such as to prevent gravity release of the pivotal stop as long as forced rotation of the roll continues, a spring and means connecting it with the roll to reversely rotate the roll following stop engagement and means for limiting reverse movement of the roll from stop position including a member moved by gravity to limiting position and having a shoulder engageable with 2. lug on the roll, and said connecting means for the spring comprising a link which is pivoted to the roll at a point substantially diametrically related to said lug, the relation of the pivotal point of the link with the rotative axis of the roll being such as to lie forwardly thereof when the stops are in engagement following feeding motion of the roll.

4. In a commodity dispensing apparatus, a member forcibly moved during dispensing and having a first stop shoulder, a pivoted rockable element having a shoulder at one side of its pivot adapted to be moved into the path of the first shoulder and to be engaged thereby, when the pivoted element is rocked, and means movable with the member for engaging the rockable element at the opposite side of its pivot and moving said elementto cause said shoulders to be engaged, the said rockable element being thereafter held in shoulder-engaged position while application of force to said member is continued, said rockable element being movable to disengage the shoulders when the application of force to said member ceases, and means for forcibly moving the member slightly so as to-assure release of the engaged shoulders after cessation of application of force to said member, and means for positively limiting such motion.

ALBERT C. GRU'NWALD. 

